For almost 20 years, Tar Heels in the senior class at Carolina have lined up on the pathways that surround the Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower on a spring day and waited for their turn to leave their mark inside a UNC-Chapel Hill icon. In a tradition that the UNC General Alumni Association started in 2003, members of the senior class hike up the 128 steps in the Bell Tower to sign their name on bricks within.
Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the size of the 2021 graduating senior class, and the current state regulations for social distancing, the GAA cannot safely host the Bell Tower Climb this spring. The GAA hopes to invite 2021 graduates to join other alumni in climbing the Bell Tower at a home football game once it is deemed safe to do so.
In the meantime, UNC-Chapel Hill’s social media team wants to give the Carolina Class of 2021 a chance to participate in this cherished tradition in a virtual way. Head to our Instagram Story on Friday, April 23, and screenshot our template of a Bell Tower brick. Decorate it however you like, post your handiwork to your Instagram Story or feed, and then tag @uncchapelhill so we can see and celebrate your design!
We know this is no substitute for the real thing, but we hope it offers the Class of 2021 a chance to celebrate together — even at a distance. While there will be no standing in line, no Sharpies in hand, no writing on any real bricks, #UNC21, seeing and sharing your virtual brick creativity on social media is the least we can do to try to bring this Senior Week tradition to life.